Category Archives: Things We Like

Koo Koo for Cuckoonest!

Things We Like, Vintage Toys + Fun Stuff, ,

You thought New Zealand couldn’t get any more awesome after the hobbit invasion?

HAH! Hardly! Let me introduce you to Cuckoonest.

What is Cuckoonest, you ask?

Well,  Cuckoonest is the creation of Kim Edwards, a gal who I have never met, but I think we must have a lot in common.

– A love of felt. Check.

– Perfectionist nature. Check and check!

– And a good sense of humor. Checkety check CHECK!

According to Internet lore, Ms. Edwards “spends many hours creating a range of beautiful, handcrafted play and decor items. After her first child was born, Kim began sewing with the help of her sister, and 10 years later they have it down to a fine art. The whimsical world of Cuckoonest brings delight to both young and young at heart, with a collection of items which is sure to be treasured by all who own them.”

You may know her for her wonderous deer heads, yes?

But I fell in love with her for her cuckoo clocks. Really, what is not to love?

And then I bow down to her for her little Red Riding Hood felt house. Oh my!

Sadly, I can’t find her hand crafted goodies Stateside, but oh you lucky Brits. You can find her goodies (when they are not sold out…) at Peanut and Pip, or in Australia at Lark Handmade.

But until I find you, I will enjoy you online, Kim.  Sigh.

We Interrupt this Vintage Monday— for NATE the GREAT.

Kiddo Rooms, Things We Like, , ,


So listen. I know we usually post our favorite vintage goodies on Monday…but today we have something a little different for you. Hello cutie pie, it’s NATE BERKUS DAY!  I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned this, but I loooove me some Oprah. I tape it religiously and watch it every night. The ever-adorable Nate has always been one of my top favorite Oprah “pals.” Just in case you’ve been under a rock, he is one of Lady O’s friends (she always calls him Mr. Cutie Pie) and is a fabulous interior designer. He also loves doggies, seems incredibly sweet and has the best guy hair on TV. Just sayin’. A few weeks ago he had a tearful farewell on the show as Oprah sent him off to start his own show—The Nate Berkus Show, which will be premiering September 13th. The ladies over at Moggit (a hysterical blog, kinda like the Fug Girls but for home interiors) approached The Nate Show via Twitter and said, “Hey, you should do a show where the entire audience is filled with bloggers!” And thus, NATE BERKUS DAY was born!

We’re not a traditional Design Blog over here at Modern Kiddo, but we love chatting about cool kid’s rooms and giving ya’ll fun ideas for little spaces. We are super excited to be a part of Nate Day and we would looove to see more of Nate’s great ideas applied to cool rooms for kiddos. (As an aside, I’m also super impressed that Nate and his show’s producers are listening to bloggers!! Woot!)

One of the things I’ve always loved about Nate’s work was his eclectic mix of styles. His rooms are never too fussy or formal but warm, modern, chic and LIVEABLE. He also has a great appreciation for vintage and always throws in fun eclectic pieces to give his rooms a twist. Check out his own kitchen below and that rad vintage drafting table. I love it!

I think one of my favorite Nates designs was when he redid Katie Lee Joel’s townhouse. I saw it in Domino magazine and it was so sunny, hip and inviting. I looooved it:

But really, let’s just cut to the chase and talk about Katie Lee Joel’s bathroom. More specifically THE TUB and THAT chandelier! Hellllllllo glass of wine and quiet time for mama!!!

Gorgeous, huh. So Nate has a few simple rules when it comes to decorating and we thought it would be fun to take a look at some of our favorites and see how our kiddo rooms stack up!

NATE TIP #1: Hang something other than artwork on your walls, like antique objects or your favorite collectibles.

We love this tip! Hanging vintage dresses, aprons, record albums—even the records themselves!—is a great way to bring personality to your little one’s room.


See more of Georgia’s adorable room here.

NATE TIP #2: Live bold, but start small.

Another great piece of advice. Don’t be afraid to experiment, but try it out in small doses. Remember this amazing grey and green nursery from Virginie in Montreal? Who would have thought that grey would work for a baby nursery? Yet it does! And the big bold pops of color come in small doses, making this a totally warm, sweet but utterly modern space!

NATE TIP #3: Don’t be Afraid to Use the Good Stuff

While the original tip probably referred to things like grandma’s good china, we interpret it to mean, don’t be afraid to have grown up “nice” things in your child’s room. We’re not talkin’ your prized collection of razer sharp Japanese katana swords, of course, but we think grown up art or and even grown up furniture (like a mid-century dresser) can look dandy—and totally appropriate!



See more of Wolfie’s funky space here.

And finally, NATE TIP #4: Bookcases aren’t just for books anymore.

This is another super fave of ours. Books are such an important part of a child’s room (yay for storytime!) but I’m also a huge fan of displaying fun toys and mementos on shelves too. One of my All Time Favorite executions of this is Kristin’s incredible converted dollhouse changing table in her little boy Sayer’s room. Some of the shelves house books but many are home for fun items like vintage Fisher-Price toys and modern favorites. (Plus she has that awesomely clever book wall over there…)

If you never saw this post, do yourself a favor and check it out here!

So that’s our take on Nate the Great. We heart you Nate! Good luck with your new venture and HURRAY for recognizing design/style bloggers and giving us a shot at being in your audience! *MWUAH! from your fans in San Francisco!*

Be sure to tune in when The Nate Berkus Show airs September 13th, 2010 on ABC.


PS. Special thanks to Julieann of CreateGirl who dreamed up the idea for NATE DAY and got the attention of Mr. Berkus to begin with!

PPS. Vintage Monday is being pushed to tomorrow so look forward to a VINTAGE TUESDAY! We’ve got our usual Retro Round Up of fun vintage kiddo clothing as well as a Vintage Toy post that is not only fun but will give you some more cool decorating ideas for your sweet kiddo’s room!

Link Lovin' Friday.

Things We Like

It’s Friday people! Whoo hoo! I like to close things out with a sampling of things that caught my eye….hopefully you’ll enjoy ’em too. Oh, and when you pop over to some of these other blogs, why not leave a little comment saying “Hi!” I feel like we have some of the coolest/best readers around—let’s share the Kiddo love! OK….on with the linkies.


1. Older But Wiser.

I don’t mean to start a crafty riot with this statement…but the owl has become a tad ubiquitous. You have to admit, they are second only to the little birdie. At the same time, I’m still TOTALLY loving them! Dottie sent me the Brown Owls web site and I had a blast at checking out all things owlie!

2. Beautiful Liddles Kiddles from SMALL Magazine.


Ooooh SMALL mag, how gorgeous are you?  As usual this issue is chock full o’ goodness, like this beautiful fashion spread.

3. Giddy (Giddy) Over This Family.

My friend Teri runs the super popular kid’s accessory’s shop, Giddy Giddy. She also has a totally inspiring blog and I have to say some of my favorite posts are the ones she does of her adorable family. They recently returned from a trip to Barcelona and Paris and the photos are so incredible! Her post detailing their Family Mission Statement is a must read! Teri’s youngest daughter is in Wolfie’s kindergarten class and I feel so lucky to have met this wildly creative woman. (And yep, the whole darn family is super cute AND crazy nice!!)

4. I Know it’s Wrong But I Want a Panda Dog.

Apparently dying your dog to look like a more exotic animal is a huge trend in China now. Tigers. Pandas. It’s soooo wrong, I know….but dammit these pups are cute. Go here to see more and tell me that the big Tiger dog doesn’t actually look a little psyched by his new ensemble.

5. These Photos Are Child’s Play.

Our pal Robert over at the awesome Junior Society turned us on to this cool artist who takes children’s drawings and then styles them up into these amazing photographs. Look closely, it’s truly awesome! You can see more over here. I just love this idea.

6. Art, Art Baby.

The lovely Sarah Jane creates these beautiful illustrations that remind me of vintage story books. You know I’m a big fan of art in yer kiddo’s room, so you can imagine I was totally over the moon to see this huge Sarah Jane Studios print in this nursery. You’ll find the original over at Aubrey and Lindsay’s Little Home blog.

7. Chalk It Up To Creativity.

While browsing Kenzipoo this morning I was totally taken by these rad porcelain figurines painted with chalkboard paint. HOW COOL IS THIS IDEA???? If you are a little lazy (or simply want to get one from the pros), swing by Ladies And Gentlemen. They have boat loads of cool stuff, like the bunny and horse pictured above.

8. VOTE FOR MODERN KIDDO! Yes, a bit of shameless self-promotion....see that brown box on the top right of the blog with the jugglin’ mommy that says “Vote for Me”? Can you pretty please with sugar on top click it? It takes a second or two and will help us get a listing in the Top Mommy Blogs directory. You can vote every day, I believe. Not like I’m askin’ ya to do THAT….unless, you know, you want to. *wink*  THANK you! You can also click here, for our personal link to vote.

9. Hall & Oates
And finally….this week’s video is actually an audio track. I’ve been obsessed with Hall & Oates lately (I’m telling ya, they are the new Journey….) and this tribute album by The Bird and the Bee is totally fun. All the songs are great—Private Eyes, I Can’t Go For That…..but of course, I had to close this week out with a personal fave, MAN EATER.

HAPPY WEEKEND EVERYBODY!

This is What a Mother Looks Like, Ya'll.

Things We Like


Photo by: the gorgeous Sandra Kleist from The Winding Road

Mommies are people, people with children
When mommies were little, they used to be girls
Like some of you, but then they grew
And now mommies are women, women with children
Busy with children, and things that they do
There are a lot of things a lot of mommies can do

Some mommies are ranchers, or poetry makers
Or doctors or teachers, or cleaners or bakers
Some mommies drive taxis, or sing on TV
Yeah, mommies can be almost anything they want to be!
— Marlo Thomas, Parents are People from Free to Be You and Me

Back in the 70s Marlo Thomas conceived this super groovy art album called Free to Be You and Me that was an alternative to all the stereotypical stuff children were being taught. It was especially empowering for young girls and taught them that they could indeed be anything they wanted to when they grew up…writers, doctors, painters, pilots, dancers….and even mommies.

I loved the notion that mommies were people, people with children. It’s so simple. We are tall and short. Different colors, shapes and sizes. Some have straight hair and others curly curls. Some wear glasses, some can see for miles. Some like coffee, others tea. Others would love a nice chilly cocktail, made with the good stuff, thank you very much.

We laugh. We cry. We hug our kiddos with all our might. We get sad at the thought that one day our sweet daughter might start dating some icky loser. We get sad at the thought that one day we won’t be able to see our sweet boy’s cute little bum anymore. We have days were we think, “Shoot, maybe I *do* want another baby!” and other days where we think, “Oh HAIL no….”

It’s ten times more difficult than we imagined and a hundred times more rewarding.

We have days where we are overwhelmed by the sheer pressure of everything. Where we think, “It’s too much. How can I do it all??”

We have days where we are overwhelmed by the joy of everything. Where we think, “My heart is so full, I think it might burst when I look at this sweet child of mine.”

Yet underneath it all, we’re all the same. Bound together by the love of our children. Mommies are people. People with children.

To all of the many amazing, strong, sweet, powerful, thoughtful, bold, kind, crazy, shy, loud, fabulous women we kn0w….we love you and salut you. You really do have the hardest job in town. And you know what? Your child is *totally* the cutest, smartest kiddo we know….

Presenting just a small selection of  our beloved  friends and readers. Mothers, all of ’em. Ladies, I have to say, DAMN ya’ll look good!

Here’s to old, treasured friends and all the many new fabulous friendships blossoming! *MWUAH!*

Once again, that super rad top photo was taken by our amazingly lovely friend Sandra Kleist, from The Winding Road! Also, you may have noticed we’ve transformed our usual Modern Kiddo masthead for the weekend. My gorgeous friend Pilgrim is the genius behind it all!

Meet *Miss* James our Weekly Kiddo

Things We Like, Weekly Kiddos


Sooooo, this coming Sunday is a little thing called MOTHER’S DAY. Perhaps yer familiar with it? Mmm hmmm. So I was thinkin’…wouldn’t it be fun to mix things up around here in honor of the mamas?? (check out our revamped masthead in honor of the weekend! Thank you Pilgrim!!!) So this week’s Weekly Kiddo is actually a Weekly Mama. Which totally works because she’s def still a big kiddo at heart—not to mention one sassy mama. Meet *Miss* James, the lovely and fabulous founder of the equally lovely and fabulous Bleubird Vintage. People, this woman just oozes style. I remember seeing James years ago on eBay when she first started selling vintage, and I swear she just gets lovelier. James already has two stunning kiddos, but she is currently pregnant with a baby bird and you won’t believe the amazing outfits she has been pulling together. She looks SO DARN CUTE all the time, I just had to share her with ya. Being pregnant is one of the most amazing things, but I think there were times when we ALL felt a little outta body—a tad schlubbier, a little clumsier and just not yourself. This goes out to all the ladies who are expecting. You are all beautiful. Take it away James!


*Pretty momma’s wearing: yellow vintage dress. vintage pink & white checkered apron. vintage hair bow. vintage bow heels. vintage 50’s brooch. (week 18)


*Pretty momma’s wearing: floral vintage dress. tooled vintage belt. vintage cowboy boots. glass teardrop necklace by the vamoose. (week 14)


*Pretty momma’s wearing: vintage grateful dead tee that belonged to my mom in high school. vintage chevron stripe skirt. (week 15)


*Pretty momma’s wearing: a sassy green vintage dress, little yellow kid’s bow barrette (week 16)


*Foxy momma’s wearing: stripe dress from modcloth. big friend, little friend necklace courtesy of that vintage. levis cut off shorts. skinny brown belt from urban outfitters. vintage fringe moccasins. (week 19)


*Pretty momma’s wearing: vintage 70’s chevron stripe dress. vintage gold ball necklace. (week 21)

Um, HOW GORGEOUS IS THIS WOMAN?? Dang. And all this gorgeousness would be potentially annoying if James weren’t also just sooo super sweet and nice too. Here are some fun tidbits about this stylishly, cool chica:

She loves sushi, soup & fondue (I’m fairly certain the vintage fondu pots have something to do with this!). Some of her fave bevvies are water, chai tea, soy vanilla lattes, frappucinos and red wine (mmmm, coffee and red wine…..not all together of course.).  She adores John Lennon and loooooves thrifting. She collects all kinds of cool stuff like vintage vinyl, furniture, knick-knacks (owls and deer are special faves) and, of course, vintage clothing.

OK. I’m not through yet….because this *is* Modern Kiddo afterall and I would be remiss if I didn’t share with you some pictures of James most beautiful little girl, Milla Plum. She’s 7 and fabulous. Yep. It clearly runs in the family:


(Pssst, that little heartbreaker on the left is her little boy Julian. Such a cutie….this family, I’m tellin’ ya!)

That’s all folks. Thank you so much James for sharing your adorable family (and amazing wardrobe!) with us. We heart you big time! Be sure to swing by James’ most excellent blog and of course please stop by bleubird vintage which is jam-packed full of lovely vintage goodies.

PS The most excellent washi tape borders are from my sweet pal Danielle, at Kitschy Digitals. You can score some of your own HERE. They are crazy affordable!